Engineering company fined $59,500 after one of its employees fell and broke his arms

A VICTORIAN engineering company has been fined almost $60,000 after one of its employees fell from a platform and broke his arms at Wallaroo.

The Industrial Relations Court fined PJ & T Motors $59,500 after it pleaded guilty to failing to provide and maintain safe systems of work and failing to provide proper information, instruction and training for working at heights.

The court heard that, in July 2012, an employee was injured at Wallaroo while attempting to move a 2.6m-high empty diesel tank.

The employee had been instructed to dismantle a ladder and platform attached to the tank when he accidentally stepped on the platform, causing it to tip.

The court heard the employee thought he would slide off the tank and jumped, but caught his feet in the ladder causing him to fall to the ground.

He suffered a dislocated and fractured right elbow, fractured left arm and injured left wrist.

Industrial Magistrate Michael McArdlie said the company had cooperated fully during the investigation and had significantly overhauled work processes on the site.